Ed Miliband pledged to “regain the trust” of the people of Reading when he met Labour colleagues for a gala dinner night at the pentahotel on Friday night.

The opposition leader gave a behind closed doors speech to more than 200 party members, councillors, officers, activists and candidates from across the region on how Labour can win back the majority of UK voters.

Among those attending the event at the hotel in Oxford Road, in the town centre, were Mayor of Reading Councillor Gul Khan, Labour group leader Councillor Jo Lovelock, and chairwoman of Reading and District Labour Party Sarah King.

Before the dinner, Mr Miliband told the Reading Post : “Reading is a very important town to Labour.

“Obviously, we don’t have MPs in Reading anymore but we are determined to do our very best to win back the seats in Reading.

“It is very much part of our strategy to regain the trust of the people of the South of England.

“I think we understand the particular issues people here face in Reading, it’s about the cost of living and around the cost of housing, getting on the housing ladder, and will be one of the issues we will be talking about this evening.

“I know Labour has a long way to go to win back people’s trust because too many people at the last election thought we couldn’t reach their hopes and aspirations and that includes here.”

Mr Miliband last came to Reading during the leadership campaign and had visited the town on previous occasions to meet former Reading West MP Martin Salter, and was determined to win back seats.

“Over time in Government you make mistakes but in the end I think people thought we were too remote from them and their lives,” he said.

“They were struggling to make ends meet, doing two jobs and working long hours, finding it difficult to get housing, worried about tuition fees, and felt we didn’t have enough answers for them.

“I don’t think it was about complacency. I think it was about over time in Government maybe getting too much set in our ways and losing touch with people.”

Mr Miliband said he was enjoying the leadership and added Labour was undertaking a policy review on how the party could make a difference in people’s lives and regain their confidence in the party.

He explained his three priorities this year were the economy, guaranteeing their future in our society and restoring trust in politics.

Asked if he had a message for voters in Reading, he said: “I want Labour to be back on your side. I want you to feel that Labour can be the vehicle for your hopes and aspirations in the future as a political party.

“And I intend to come back here a number of times between now and the next election and talk to people in Reading to win back that trust.”